Managua: Masked men shot a mortar at two camp guards of Jesuit-run University of Central America in Managua, capital of Nicaragua as the Latin American nation witnessed increased anti-government protests.
Jesuit Father Father Jose Alberto Idiaquez, rector of the university on May 29 condemned the latest attack on his university that has become a hub of student activism since protests directed at the Sandinista government began in April this year.
The mortar attack occurred on May 27
“Although they did not manage to hurt or kill our watchmen, this was their intent, based on the charge of gunpowder used and the nearness of the shot,” Father Idiaquez said in his statement.
Father Idiaquez described the attack on as “cowardly” and said the attackers were “armed with impunity guaranteed to them by the current government.”
“The UCA,” he said, “loyal to its Christian principles, will continue to urge what it has been urging our people: justice for the dozens murdered [by the state] and a democracy that guarantees the entire citizenry of our country true peace and development.”
Anger and unrest in Nicaragua began in mid-April after the government announced cuts to the nation’s social security system. Despite the proposed changes being quickly canceled, protests have continued, motivated in part by the tough government crackdown against them.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has expressed human rights concerns and has accused the Sandinistas of inciting its political supporters to acts of violence against protesters. At least 76 people have been killed in Nicaragua since the unrest began. More than 900 have been injured.
Among the dead is 15-year-old Álvaro Manuel Conrado Davila, a Jesuit High School student, who died on April 20 after being shot in the throat with a rubber bullet at close range by police.
Popular anger has become broadly directed at the government of former Sandinista guerrilla leader Daniel Ortega. Critics have accused the Ortega government of electoral fraud, corruption and subverting the independence of the legislature and judicial system.
The Catholic Church has attempted to mediate the crisis by bringing together representatives of the student protesters and government. On May 23, however, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes announced the suspension of the church-sponsored talks, citing a lack of progress.
(Source: americamagazine.org)